[quote]Have any of you ever heard of someone who was able to manage the pain, nausea, and taste issues and swallow enough nutrition normally while they were receiving radiation and chemo, with my kind of cancer? Again, side/bottom of external tongue, and 3 lymph nodes in neck.[/quote]
As the song goes

[quote]C'est moi! C'est moi, I'm forced to admit.
'Tis I, I humbly reply.
That mortal who
These marvels can do,
C'est moi, c'est moi, 'tis I.
[/quote]

But that was the first time with no surgery. Since you can still swallow after the surgery, if it's important to you, you could do it. Especially since you are so young. But your nutrition will soon be all liquid, like Ensure plus. The issue of PEGs used to be hot one (and I was one of the hotheads) because when I joined, there seemed to be a party line that you needed one and should have one. Now there is a balanced viewpoint, acknowledging that many doctors oppose feeding tubes and their patients don't get one. It probably helped that Michael Douglas refused to get one and did just fine. For me, a feeding tube meant the cancer was winning, so I resisted. For others, it was just a practical option. Most of us (myself included) followed our doctors' advice and predilections.
Nobody wanted one as far as I know, although many, (myself included after the surgery when the cancer came back) ended up needing one.
Congratulations on being able to swallow
Charm